Pre-65 Bikes

Hi All, finally managed to scrape together the pennies for a basic Ariel, very different from the Bultacos, i normally ride. my sincerest thanks so far to John Bartram and JonV8 for the advice and guidance so far. The bike is an early Bartram frame, with a 1958 motor, interspan converted mag and Burman Box GB47, standard 500cc motor. as I am still recovering from the purchase and funds are tight (I could have bought 4 bultacos for i paid for one Ariel) I am trying to do the bare minimum to make it rideable in a trial. currently it is unrideable, carb worn out, and gearing way to high, bald back tyre, sadly it also running on Castrol R at present, not the best apart f…

I collected a pile of bits from John Bartram yesterday afternoon for me and a mate,(Well he says he is when he wants a favour...) I now have a new frame and all the other very smart bits that John makes,including the first of the new design of swinging arms we persuaded him to design and make. This afternoon I laid it and all the other parts I have so far,I thought it would enthuse me to start the dry build... Bit of a shock really,its a realisation of what is ahead. There are some very nicely made bits there,John Bartram,John Budgen,Alan Whitton and Mick Ash are great to deal with,and clearly are able to deliver the goods.I took a picture so I can keep track of what els…

Hi Just wondering haveing built a bantam and have a collection of parts over as you do, with Telford coming up have thought about doing another,question is which ignition pvl or electrex the latter being cheaper aside most people I have chatted to have the electrex is there a reason for this besides price I have pvl in mine Many thanks

Hi guys Is it possible to put Scorpa tys 125 1998 model forks to BSA C15 Standard frame ? Thanks ... M.Aziz

Should the chain case of my Cub be completely devoid of oil? The bike was to be put through the workshop before it was delivered to me so it should be right as far as oils are concerned but when I removed the chain case drain last night nothing came out. I then removed the side case and it was totally dry in there.... There is no gasket either so I assume this must be right but it seems odd to me. It has PVL ignition. I was a little bit alarmed to find that there was only 50ml of oil in the gearbox and have now changed that to 200cc of EP90. So far I have only run it around my drive for 20 minutes or so in total but I don't want to run it again until I know that eve…

Many years of collecting and riding Bultacos means my father and I have number of relined/rebuilt Sherpa wheels, the later type single sided not full width. we are currently building a couple of Pre-65 C15 trials bikes that we hope to compete on in the Pre-65, Pre-67, Pre-70 what ever the class is that the all the other C15's on the day are entered into. the engines are C15G, so 1966ish, they will hopefully have B25 Alloy barrels fitted. One will be in a Drayton frame, one will be in a modified WD B40 frame, both will have forks with spindle mounted underneath, not leading axle. We normally ride in the south and south west ACU and AMCA, if we fitted the Sherpa wheels…

All, i am hoping to fit a B25 Barrel onto C15 crankcases, also using the C15 head. many have already done this mod, my question is how do you get the oil back to the crankcases as the drain holes in the B25 barrel only one is the correct side as the C15 has them diagonal. can you drill down the side of the barrel and put a pipe in?? could you mill a track around the gasket face on top of the barrel from the where the drain hole from the c15 head meets the barrel? i have only seen one one and he had a very late B25 barrel and there was enough 'meat' to drill down the side? my B25 barrels are earlier and don't have enough room, hence my question about pipe?? as alwa…

Hi all, i am hoping to return to riding a C15 or 2! one in modified WD frame and one in a Drayton if i can raise the pennies! anyway i am currently building the motors at present, my question is what size chain do people use. 428 or 520, i always used 520 when riding 10 to 15 years ago. one bike will have cub hubs, the other probably Bultaco. Both engines are C15G they will be running B40 WD gearboxes. i have no sprockets or chain bought yet, so it makes no difference £££ wise. just wondered what everyone uses and why if they have a preference. all suggestions gratefully received.

Hi there Simple question - what's the easiest was to wire a kill button my my Sprite 250 (Villiers 32A engine ) ? - currently nothing at all fitted cheers John

Hi guys , before I load up a picture , is there anyway to identify a frame from its number on the stock , it has been heavily modified so is hard to compare via pictures . thanks in advance Dusty

Does any have a foolproof way to remove the pilot bush from a mark one concentric? thanks,. Stan.

Hello, my tiger cub is running very hot, the front bend in the exhaust gets red hot ( only visible in the dark) if has a full armac exhaust and it runs nice, idles fine and revs fine is it normal the front bend gets that hot ? ( doesnt take long after 5 min of running its red hot) anyone else who uses armac exhaust ? could it be these stainless exhausts get hotter ? used to have a 320 sherco 4 stroke and that exhaust also got red hot any advise to keep a cub cooler ? kindest regards bob

... I have just bought a Bantam. Should be able to pick it up in a week or so, been looking around for a while and I think I've made the right choice. Very good set of gears and revs well, watch this space :-)

Hi there As the question says ! I've got a sprite with 37a engine and my son has a James with 8e engine Is modern 2 stroke ok ? If so what ratio Cheers John

Evening all , During a clear out and cataloging of my late father inlaws paraphenalia there are a few tanks to sort out , If any kind soul would be able to help identify what they are from I would be eternaly grateful as I have spent hours on the net trying to find out but am close to causing myself serious harm !! On the Blue and silver tank it has TRIBSA on it and when I searched it I found many but nothing like it . And the Green tank with Velocette on it , is not as it should be as it was being used as part of a Velocete trialer project ! If anyine has any ideas of what they are worth would be good aswell please . Many thanks in advance http:// http:// http…

Anyone know where I can get one of these? It's authentically pre 65 so Scotland shouldn't be a problem ...

If anyone knows of a Velocette MAC trials bile for sale can they please send me a message? I saw one at a vintage trial on Sunday and am interested in getting one.

hi guys any advise on what oil to use for the bantam 4 speed gearbox/clutch many thanks

I have just bought a 1965 Fred Hardy built Tiger Cub to get into Pre 65 trials in addition to the twinshock stuff I'm doing. I have a few questions (I promise I have searched previous threads first): Oil - The bike came with "20w50" written on the tank next to the filler in the top frame tube. This is a custom made (by Fred) frame and I have no idea of oil capacity or what type to use. Various threads here and elsewhere suggest "Never use synthetic", "Always use synthetic" "Only use mineral" etc. I understand that there are three oils (Engine, gear and chain case) I have managed to find some information on capacity for gear and chaincase (half a pint from memory) but a…

Hi there Following on from my previous topic on gearbox sprocket.... I got a 13T sprocket off Villiers services to replace my 17T with and at the same time decided to change the cork clutch plates for ferrodo. Sent my plates away for exchange, everything arrived - all good..... Disassembly, went OK, everything removed etc fitted 13T gearbox sprocket Reassembly ..... problem.... There is now about 3-4mm lateral play on the splined shaft that the clutch fits on, therefore when the clutch is re- assembled the clutch actuator simply pushes the entire clutch assembly out rather that pushing the pressure plate out against the springs ??? Any idea what could have gone wron…